The 8 champions and their crews taking part in this year's edition of the Trophe Clairefontaine took possession of their boats and carried out their first test and training session, inside Port America's Cup Port in Valencia. Wind conditions during the training session could be defined as acceptable. Throughout the morning, a constant and quite strong breeze was blowing throughout the America's Cup race course as well as inside Port America's Cup. Unfortunately, training started a little bit late, we suppose later than what was initially planned. The 8 boats docked out past 5:30pm and at that time the thermal breeze usually has already started to die down and there the was probably 6-7 knots of wind. There is no doubt that racing will be spectacular once the breeze kicks in. One shouldn't forget that the race course is right inside the basin and yachts have to sail two legs (one upwind and one downwind) inside the canal, meaning that at times they get extremely close to its edges, as seen in the photos. Let's say, I could have almost grabbed Ed Baird's helm if I wanted!!  read more »

Alinghi's media day included a very instructional experience on the water. Not only were we able to watch the team's two Extreme 40 yachts train against each other we were also given the opportunity to hop onboard and witness the races from a privileged position.

The white boat was crewed by Ed Baird, Lorenzo Mazza, Rodney Ardern and Pieter Van Nieuwenhuyzen while on the black one by Murray Jones, Brad Butterworth, Nils Frei and Yves Detrey.

Ed Baird won all 5 of the exhibition match races but of course these results should be taken with a pinch of salt. They did in fact simulate a Deed-of-Gift match, with just one upwind and one downwind leg but the course was set very short, just 1 mile, in order to squeeze as many races as possible for the numerous guests. With such a short distance the two teams tacked and gybed once or twice in each leg, amplifying by much the importance of the start. Of course, one should always keep in mind that Baird is one of the most experienced and successful match-racers in the world, twice claiming the top position on world rankings.  read more »

The America's Cup might be going through a very difficult period but at least one thing is for sure here in Valencia, BMW Oracle will not let us get bored. All one has to do is go down to Port America's Cup at around 2pm, find a comfortable spot at the end of the canal and wait for the BMW Oracle catamaran to pass in front of him.

Not a day goes by without a different crew and helmsman and one can assume Russell Coutts, CEO of the team, tests sailors from all professional circuits (America's Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and TP52). In fact it was his turn today (Tuesday) to helm the catamaran under windy and bumpy conditions.

Once again, our friend and excellent Valencian photographer Ignacio Baixauli was at the right spot at the right moment, despite the cold, windy and rainy day. Other obligations have kept Valencia Sailing away from Port America's Cup but rest assured when the second catamaran arrives and the American team starts its two-boat training sessions we will have plenty of photos and video.  read more »

Valencia Sailing is back in earnest, reporting from what used to be the world's sailing capital, during a week that is probably the busiest inside Port America's Cup since a long time. We counted a total of 11 yachts either sailing off Valencia's coast or docked in one of the bases, although none of them was an America's Cup boat, in the strict sense of the word. There are now 6 Extreme 40 yachts, 3 belonging to Alinghi, 2 to BMW Oracle and another to Holmatro. In addition, 5 TP52 teams use the existing bases and facilities in order to fit their yachts or train in view of the imminent start of the Audi MedCup. The Defender of the 33rd America's Cup and the Challenger of Record continue their daily schedule of catamaran training, under excellent wind conditions. If only we could turn back the clock 12 months in order to enjoy the constant strong breeze of the last few weeks during the Louis Vuitton Cup last year. In addition to these 4 catamarans, another one has been purchased by Alinghi for the iShares Extreme 40 Cup while the 6th one is of Team Holmatro.  read more »

From the press release: Eight top quality teams signed-up so far for 2008 iShares Cup With the Extreme 40 catamaran fleet now numbering 14 boats, there is potential that even more will make the start line of the five iShares Cup events, which begin in Lugano, Switzerland, on May 30. The entry list reads like a Who's Who of sailing, bursting with the very best skippers and crews in the sport. America's Cup sailors will be lining up against Olympic medallists, ocean racers, and world champions, all coming together on the unique iShares Cup sailing circuit. Fleet at the start, Amsterdam 2007 Vincent Curutchet/DPPI/OC Events With the next America's Cup looking set to take place in multi-hulls, the Swiss Defender Alinghi will be putting their cat-sailing skills to the test in this year's iShares Cup. America's Cup-winning helmsman Ed Baird has been putting in plenty of training in the Extreme 40 with the Alinghi crew in Valencia. Even this multiple world champion admitted that the powerful catamarans can be pretty challenging: "It was hard at first - going down from 17 to just four crew, but after the initial learning curve it got to be pretty exciting!" He compared the spectator-friendly iShares Cup city courses to recent America's Cup racing close to the shore in Valencia, saying: "It's a good kind of racing for the sport to have, as the shorter the race the more evenly matched the boats are." TEAMORIGIN, the British Challenger for the next multi-challenger America's Cup, will also be lining up in the series. Current iShares Cup champion Robert Greenhalgh, who skippered the winning boat on last year's circuit, leads the team. Rob is joined by his brother Peter, a top skiff sailor and part of the 2007 winning Extreme 40 crew, as well as other key members of the British Cup squad. This year's series has also drawn double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson back to the Extreme 40, having competed in two events at last year's iShares Cup. "Last year really whetted my appetite, but this year's going to be a bit different with the pro teams really upping the ante," she explained. "I love the boats and am really looking forward to going sailing on them again." Shirley will once again take the helm of JPMorgan Asset Management, showing her mettle as the sole female skipper on the circuit.  read more »

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P Cat with mountain scenery to the NNE. After a long slog struggling with barely perceptible breezes, I was grateful for some more usable breeze, which ranged from 3 to 8 knots. Just as the breeze gradually rose from something like .1 knot to a few times more than that, a catamaran launched itself into the lake at Jet Boat Cove and glided over the lake to join me. Paul, the skipper, noted that he'd decided to sail his nineteen-foot Pacific Cat out despite the initially calm lake, since he'd seen me plugging away. Fortunately, we got some passable wind and were able to get in some several tacks around some navigation buoys and then sail around with the thirty-four-foot S2, Cultural Infidel, when it joined us.  read more »